A group of parents has appealed a recent
decision by the Hacienda La Puente Unified School District that
radically changes the start and end dates of the school year to a county
agency that oversees public education.

The parental group, long opposed to the “early start
calendar,” has asked the Los Angeles County Office of Education to
review the program. The parents say the new calendar will negatively
impact the district’s budget and student academic performance.

But the appeal could be to no avail.

Although the county education office does have regulatory
authority over 93 school districts, it mainly adjudicates disputes over
inter-district transfers and expulsions.

“I can say our office would have no authority to override a
school district’s action on a calendar situation,” said Margo Menecki, a
spokesperson for the County Office of Education.

To tackle childhood obesity by offering San Gabriel at-risk
youth the chance to participate in team sports with no fee, the successful Seadevils Youth Water Polo program will hold registration for the winter session on Monday, January 23 at 6 p.m. at the Nogales High School Pool(returning athletes must arrive at 5:45 p.m.) The program is open to the first 50 boy and girl athletes in grades 5th – 8th. Students must be able to swim 25 yards. It is free with 3 volunteer hours to the program. Parents must attend registration. Session Dates: January 23 – March 14, Mondays and Wednesdays from 6:45 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

C.A.S.A.
Athletics is also seeking community sponsorship and encourages everyone
to come see the program in action.

The Nogales High School Pool is
located at 401. S. Nogales Street in La Puente. For more information,
please contact Coach Timothy Tobin at (626) 965-3437 or at
seadevilswaterpolo@yahoo.com.

Do you believe in angels? Mary Ting of Hacienda Heights does. In fact, the kindergarten teacher has written two books about the heavenly creatures. The Los Molinos Elementary instructor has become something of a celebrity among her young students.

“I wrote the book as an outlet of grief over the death of my grandmother,” Ting explained. “She was always an angel to me, she was a great role model.”

Her first book “Crossroads” is the story about a forbidden love between a young woman and her guardian angel, who half mortal. They meet at a place between heaven and Earth called the crossroads.

Her teen novel has ranked as a top seller on Amazon.com. The romance can also be downloaded in Kindle and Nook formats.

On Saturday, the budding author will hold a book signing from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Barnes and Noble Bookstore in Fullerton. The former PTA president will donate a portion of her sales to Los Molinos school.

“We’re all going to be there to support our teacher,” said Principal Angela Lin. “We’ve planned a breakfast as well as activities for families to enjoy.”

Rowland High Principal Mitch Brunyer stands in the closed pool at Rowland High School.

Rowland High School is looking for your input.
It wants to build a new $2.5 million swimming pool. Rowland Unified
will present the plans for the aquatic center on Monday, Jan. 23, at
6:30 p.m. in the Hideout at Rowland High.

The school board previewed the project at a recent meeting. Families
will find a design for a striking center to replace the old pool that
had to be closed for health and safety reasons.

“Last May, we discovered the pool was leaking 6,000 gallons of water a
day,” explained Vice Principal Bob Withers. “There was also seepage
that lowered the water quality.”

The district decided to close the aging pool immediately. It later
learned the leakage had undermined the decking around the pool.

Thieves with a penchant for copper wire have hit five schools in the Hacienda La Puente Unified School District since November. In an effort to stop the copper culprits, the school district is
offering a $2,000 reward and partnered with WeTip.

The reward is for
information leading to the arrest and conviction of the thief or
thieves.

District officials think the thieves are hitting campuses after school hours.

Sergio Cazorla, coordinator of risk management for the district, said
that typically, said the estimated damages per school ranged from
$5,000 to $15,000.

“We’re already strapped for cash and for these people to steal copper
wire from a school. It’s saddening,” he said. “We want to put an end to
the thefts.”

Violence can happen anywhere and school is no
exception. Red Dragon Karate in West Covina has long since recognized
this and the martial arts studio started a program to combat bullying in
schools. It’s called the Bully Proof Workshop – and it’s free.

“We’ve had this program for over five years,” owner Mike
Casamassa said. “We’ve always had parents come in with their kids and
tell us that their kids are being bullied. That’s when we decided to put
together this free workshop.”

These days, it’s hard to find much of anything for free. But
the Bully Proof Workshop is a testament to the fact that some businesses
still care about their community. So far the course has been successful
and made a difference in West Covina’s youth, at least for the ones who
turned to Red Dragon Karate for help.